Strawberry Almond Crumb Coffee Cake

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Strawberry Almond Crumb CoffeecakeWeekends are so much more enjoyable when you start them with something amazing for breakfast. You suddenly have a reason to linger over the paper, make a second pot of coffee, and delay your trip to the hardware store.  What more could you ask for?

This weekend it’s an ultra-moist strawberry coffee cake smothered in a ridiculously good, I-want-to-pick-it-all-off-and-eat-it-right-now almond crumb topping.  It goes together quickly and depending on how many people you choose to share it with, it might be around long enough to perk up your back-to-reality Monday morning breakfast.

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Raspberry-Rhubarb Quick Bread

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Raspberry-Rhubarb Quick Bread with Cream Cheese GlazeI’ve got a smidge of a problem with my freezer.  You see, I put things in but they never come out.

That is, until they fall on my head as I’m trying to shove something else in there.

But after being assaulted by an almost year-old bag of frozen rhubarb, I decided it was time to take control of the situation.  Theoretically, rhubarb should be back in season within a month, so it would be silly to hang on to the bag I froze last spring.  Digging deeper, I discovered there were several bags of forgotten raspberries, as well.  Let’s put this frozen fruit to work and make a loaf of quick bread.

I love quick breads.  Who doesn’t?  There’s easy.  Forgiving.  You don’t have to break out the stand mixer.  Deliciously moist.  Hold up well for a few days.  I baked this loaf on Friday and I’m still, happily, eating it on Tuesday as I write this.

But, enough of my jibber-jabber.  This is supposed to be quick bread.  Let’s get it done.

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Almond Butter, Dark Chocolate & Coconut Cookies

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Almond Joy CookiesThe way I see it, there are 2 ways to deal with rainy snowy days.  You can order a pizza, put on your jammies and watch an old movie or you can bake cookies.

Today I’m going the cookie route.

When it’s gloomy out and you might be feeling a little gloomy yourself, you don’t want crazy, fancy cookies.  Save the macarons, cutesy cut-outs, and sandwich cookies for another occasion.  We’re looking for classic: crisp, crackly exterior with a chewy center.  Chocolate?  Good idea.  Peanut butter?  Maybe if I had some…let’s try almond butter instead.  Chocolate and almonds. Might as well toss in some coconut and go for an Almond Joy sort of thing.

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Lemon Curd & Earl Grey Shortbread Tart

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Lemon Curd & Earl Grey Shortbread Tart

Invite me over for dinner and I’ll generously offer to bring dessert.  I’ll pretend baking is a completely selfless act, something simply to show my appreciation and gratitude.  Little do you know, I’m really just looking for a reason to try out a new concoction that fits my favorite ingredients neatly into a cake, pie, or tart and your dinner invitation was the green light go-ahead I’d been  waiting for.

My latest “selfless act” of dessert was this tart I brought to Easter dinner.  It’s an Earl Grey tea infused shortbread crust, filled with lemon curd, and topped with tangy whipped cream.  It’s your afternoon tea with lemon and a side of cookies all rolled into one tart.

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How to Make Lemon Curd

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Lemon Curd Recipe

Do you ever teach yourself how to make something new and as soon as you finish, slap yourself on the forehead and wonder why you haven’t been making it for years?

I do quite often.

This time around it was homemade lemon curd.  I’d never given lemon curd much thought, but I had an itch to make some sort of lemony shortbread dessert so I figured out how to make it.  It was so easy and the results were so much better than I imagined that I’m now having a hard time thinking about a refrigerator void of a bowl of lemon curd.

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